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Gems From A Swamis Notebook - William Page
Gems From A Swamis Notebook - William Page
REMINISCENCES
S
wami Sukhatmananda is an elderly Mission schools is to teach Hindu culture
monk, now in retirement at the and traditions. Indians living in the United
ashrama in Ulsoor. Recently I was States, when asked about Hinduism, say they
asked to look at some notes he had made have left it to their grandmothers!
long ago from talks given by eminent People think that all they have to do is
swamis. I found some of them very get initiated. It takes a lot more than that to
insightful, and thought that devotees would get God-realisation. ‘Holy Mother used to
benefit from them. I’ve paraphrased what I say, “He who can do 50,000 japas daily can
thought were the best of them below, using see God.” Sri Ramakrishna has come and
direct quotations where that seemed made things easy for all of us. The bolts of
advisable. the door which were locked have been
removed and [the door] remains shut. We
Swami Vireswarananda have to push [it] just to open [it] and enter
From night classes at the Madras Math, the realm of God.’
1974-1984: [It is well known that Swami
Swami Vireswarananda ‘advised Vireswarananda had a great sense of
devotees not to keep so many gods and humour. The notes on him are enlivened by
goddesses in the same place. To keep them several jokes. These are the best ones:]
merely like that in cupboards and not offer The Drunkard and the Goat : A
daily puja and offerings even for a day drunkard wanted to sacrifice a goat. Being
would create more karma instead of drunk, he took his dog instead. As he was
reducing it. It was more efficacious to offer about to chop off its head, the dog started
simple worship of dhoop [incense], flowers barking. The drunkard said, ‘Oho, what a
and japa.’ fine animal you are! You used to say Baa-
M wrote The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna baa, but now you say Bow-wow.’
after deep meditation, ‘like a cow slowly The Magic Touch of Holy Water : A
eating [chewing] its cud.’ Swami Christian priest went to a Hindu devotee’s
Brahmananda said that reading The Gospel home for Sunday dinner. In deference to the
every day results in brahmajnàna priest’s meat-eating habit, the Hindu devotee
[knowledge of Brahman]. had cooked non-vegetarian dishes. The
Swami Madhavananda coined the suffix priest protested at such deference, saying
–prana for the names of the nuns of Sarada that vegetarian dishes would have been fine.
Math. This is why they are named So the Hindu got a bowl of water and
Bhaktiprana, Vrajaprana, Saradaprana, etc. sprinkled it on all the dishes, explaining,
‘An intellectual conviction of Advaita ‘You sprinkle water on people and make
Vedanta has to come, and [the] rest of all sinners into saints. I’m doing the same with
work is in Dvaita only.’ these meat dishes to change them into
The purpose of the Ramakrishna vegetarian dishes.’
temple of Ranganàtha. He joined the Shivananda and became very fond of him.
Order at age 17 and became President at He regarded him as his guru, even though
age 90. Swami Shivananda died before they could
While at Mysore, Swami meet. Swami Atmasthananda ‘had received
Ranganathananda and the abbot, Swami his mantra in a dream from Sri Ramakrishna
Siddheswarananda, were the only people in himself.’ [The notes emphasize this fact by
the ashrama. So Swami Ranganathananda recording it in italics.] But elderly swamis at
had to become an expert at doing Belur Math told him he should get formally
everything: from doing the puja to initiated. Swami Nirvedananda advised him
housekeeping, cleaning, gardening, fixing to take initiation from Swami Vijnanananda.
things, cooking, and shopping in the Swami Atmasthananda had a dream in
marketplace. which he was walking along a highway with
Swami Ranganathananda believed that a Swami Shivananda, and Swami Shivananda
monk should always be cheerful. Sannyasa kept changing into Swami Vijnanananda and
requires a lot of energy. Roar like a lion, then changing back again. So he took
don’t bleat like a goat. He used to quote a initiation from Swami Vijnanananda.
verse that means ‘When the lion roars, the Swami Atmasthananda told a story
fox hides. When a Vedantist speaks, about Swami Abhedananda, who had
everybody else runs away.’ Hence the collected gold to make a statue of a golden
expression ‘Vedanta Kesari,’ the lion of lion (simhàsana) for the image of Sri
Vedanta! Ramakrishna to sit on at some future date,
He mentioned a married couple who when the Ramakrishna Temple would be
wanted their son to become a sannyasin dedicated. [There’s another story that
because he was useless, unsuited for worldly Swami Vivekananda wanted an image of Sri
life. Swami Ranganathananda protested that Ramakrishna seated on a swan.] Swami
this was absolutely the wrong idea: only a Abhedananda wanted to take the gold to a
person of great strength and self-control jeweller to make the statue of the lion, but
should become a sannyasin. on the way he kept feeling that somebody
Swami Ranganathananda looked strong was giving him a push and shouting, ‘Don’t
and healthy. [Another source says he was you know I can’t touch metal? You idiot, I
famous for his swimming ability.] But he told you I can’t touch metal, and you want to
had had a stomach problem since 1936 and put me on a golden simhasana! Go back!’
had to restrict his diet. In 1968, doctors in Realising that this was Sri Ramakrishna’s
Boston examined him and declared that he doing, Swami Abhedananda gave up the
should be dead. He took the medicines they idea, and had the statue of the lion made
prescribed, but to no avail. He used to joke, from sandalwood instead. [We are not told
‘My Himalayas (meaning his head) are fine, how this resulted. Probably due to the
but my Madhya Pradesh (meaning his difficulty of mounting an image of Sri
stomach) is not so good.’ Ramakrishna on the statue of either a swan
or a lion, the image in the Ramakrishna
Swami Atmasthananda Temple shows him seated quite sensibly in
When he was young, Swami the traditional sitting posture made famous
Atmasthananda heard a lot about Swami by his photo.]
* Mr William Page is an eminent writer and Vedantist who lives in Thailand and contributes articles
to the Bulletin regularly.